Jeremy

Ruckert

Ruckert was poked in the eye early in this game, but the Jets only had 60 passing yards in the entire game. Even though Ruckert only had 23 catches on 29 targets for 179 yards and a touchdown this season, he was recently signed to an extension and will be back with the Jets in 2026.

Ruckert, who last week signed a two-year contract extension with the Jets, was second among New York tight ends in receptions, as Stone Smartt caught all five of his targets for 34 yards. Mason Taylor missed the game with a neck injury. Ruckert led all Jets tight ends with 25 pass routes on the day; Stone had 19 routes and the second most targets among Jets pass catchers. Ruckert should remain on waiver wires ahead of Week 17.

The new deal includes a maximum of $11 million over the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Ruckert, drafted by the Jets in 2022, has 55 receptions on 75 targets over four NFL seasons, including 20 catches for 163 yards and a touchdown in 2025. Ruckert has seen some more involvement in the Jets offense of late, recording two receptions in each of the past three contests. The team’s commitment to Ruckert could raise questions about how the Jets see TE Mason Taylor, a rookie with 44 receptions for 369 yards and a score this season.

The touchdown came on the final offensive drive of the game when the Jets were down 30-3, so we wouldn’t overreact too much to this. That being said, Ruckert out-targeted Mason Taylor in Week 1 and only had one fewer target than Taylor in Week 2, so we’re not so sure Taylor is going to be useful in fantasy leagues this season.

He actually was out-targeted by Jeremy Ruckert (2/16) but neither Jets tight end looks likely to generate fantasy value unless the team trails for most of the game. The rookie could be interesting in a different game script, but doesn’t need to be rostered in shallow leagues.

Cimini believes Taylor “could relegate Jeremy Ruckert to a blocking role at tight end.” While we did not expect Ruckert to command a fantasy-relevant target share, potentially consolidating positional targets is a positive for Mason. He is unlikely to break into the TE1 tier as a rookie but the Jets’ receiving corps is terribly thin.

Is Stone Smartt going to be a thing? While the Jets could still do more to address their tight end room, last year’s leading pass-catcher at the position, Tyler Conklin, remains a free agent. Smartt came on late last season for the Chargers, catching 16 passes for 208 yards on 19 targets. The former college QB has spent the last three seasons honing his tight end skills. His brief flashes may be enough to earn him an increased role in 2025 if he can impress in camp. As it stands now he’d battle third-round disappointment Jeremy Ruckert for a starting role.

Conlin has now missed back-to-back practices with the calf issue. He’s been one of the few Jets who have had any sort of fantasy success the previous few weeks, but it appears that the 29-year-old is in danger of missing the finale against the Dolphins. That’d likely mean more snaps for Jeremy Ruckert.

Per SNY’s Connor Hughes, Conklin and his wife were expecting the birth of their first child as of Saturday evening. Conklin didn’t travel with the team but there was some hope that he could still make it to Jacksonville in time for Sunday’s game. That won’t happen and Jeremy Ruckert will draw the start. Fantasy managers weren’t starting Conklin this week and don’t need to worry about Ruckert either.

The Jets hold the tenth pick in the draft and could be in position to take Bowers and bolster a pass-catching group that has nothing outside Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall. Bowers did not work out at the NFL Combine while recovering from ankle surgery; he plans to work out at Georgia’s pro day March 13. Bowers, who had 175 receptions for 2,538 yards and 26 touchdowns at Georgia, would be a boon for Aaron Rodgers and the New York offense in 2024. The Jets’ current tight ends are Jeremy Ruckert and Tyler Conklin.